It's not always as easy to eat as healthily as we hope. (I say after guzzling half a bag of "natural" potato chips an hour before dinner. Sigh.) Even best efforts can be trumped by busy days that leave little room for anything but fast-ish meals at best, or just more coffee and something soft and doughy at worst. But when we do make the time—when we support local farmers markets, read ingredient labels, buy organic to avoid pesticides and GMOs, and cook everything from scratch—we hope we're circumnavigating things that are bad for us. Perhaps we're even neutralizing some of those indulgent "bad" meals that get the best of us from time to time.

It’s not always as easy to eat as healthily as we hope. (I say after guzzling half a bag of “natural” potato chips an hour before dinner. Sigh.) Even best efforts can be trumped by busy days that leave little room for anything but fast-ish meals at best, or just more coffee and something soft and doughy at worst. But when we do make the time—when we support local farmers markets, read ingredient labels, buy organic to avoid pesticides and GMOs, and cook everything from scratch—we hope we’re circumnavigating things that are bad for us. Perhaps we’re even neutralizing some of those indulgent “bad” meals that get the best of us from time to time.

Unless your food has been literally soaking in a tub of pesticides just before you eat, the risks of eating fruits and vegetables that have been exposed to pesticides does not outweigh the benefits of getting enough of these nutritious foods in your diet every day. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to eat pesticides. But of course, chances are high that you already are. And systemic pesticides, which are absorbed by the plant into its tissues, rather than just remaining on the washable exterior, have drastically increased in our food supply in the last decade.

Systemic pesticides include imidacloprid, which is often applied to fruits and vegetables through the life of the plant—including up to harvest time. It’s commonly applied to leafy green vegetables and tomatoes. It’s been named as a possible cause of Colony Collapse Disorder affecting bee hives around the world, and while no long term studies on its human health impact have been conducted, it’s already believed to cause thyroid issues, spasms, breathing difficulties and other acute issues.

Clothianidin is a systemic pesticide often applied to potatoes (as if I didn’t already regret that salty half-a-bag inhale enough). It too has been connected to the unprecedented bee die-offs. In mammals, it’s been connected to reproductive issues and developmental effects, but few studies have been done on its impact to humans.

Other systemic pesticides include thiamethoxam, which is widely applied to soil where fruit and vegetables are planted and dinotefuran, which is often applied to soil and sprayed directly on leafy green, potatoes and crops including cucumbers.

These pesticides can remain in the soil for more than a year after initial treatment, putting crops at high risk for ongoing contamination. “After one or two applications, plants grown in treated soil may produce toxic pollen, nectar and guttation droplets for more than two seasons.”

While there are a considerable number of low-risk fruits and vegetables that can thrive with minimal pesticide applications (check out the Environmental Working Group’s “Clean 15“), avoiding pesticides is as easy as opting for organic whenever possible. Yes, farmers will grow more organic if we let them know we support that decision. But (unlike me—do as I write not as I regretfully guzzle!), it’s important we stop beating ourselves up over what we eat. You’re not a bad person for not buying the organic kale because conventional was $1 cheaper—or for skipping it altogether and eating something faster and easier. As a nation, our relationship with food is incredibly sensitive right now. It’s evolving. Most of us are doing the best we can with what we have–just like the plants that grow under unthinkably harsh conditions and still manage to pull nutrients we need from the otherwise toxic soil.

Promising new research coming out of France shows that a dramatic reduction in pesticide use can be achieved without a negative impact on crop yields, according to the Pesticide Action Network of North America.

Promising new research coming out of France shows that a dramatic reduction in pesticide use can be achieved without a negative impact on crop yields, according to the Pesticide Action Network of North America.

As the world’s third largest consumer of pesticides, France is in the midst of a legal battle with the European Commission, who’s claiming that the country has not taken adequate measures to prevent water contamination from pesticide use. But, the new research, which shows that chemical applications could be cut in half, could not only help to alleviate future contamination risks, but also decrease the financial burdens on farmers who purchase the pesticides. PANNA reports that “a 30% reduction could be achieved without reducing productivity or the margins received by farmers. And a 50% reduction caused only a 5-10% drop in yield.”

And according to the organization, it’s not just France that could benefit: “Similar studies here in the U.S., from Pennsylvania to Iowa and California, also demonstrate excellent yields when pesticide use is dramatically reduced. In Iowa, for example, researchers found that pesticide and fertilizer use can be reduced by an impressive 70% or more with no loss in yields.”

Does decreased pesticide use mean more of these farms will be organic? Not necessarily, as organic certification costs money, and requires the employment of more methods than just the absence of pesticides, but PANNA states that decreasing pesticides, and other sustainable practices “can produce very good yields” with many advantages, and lead farmers in the direction of transition to 100 percent organic. “Soil Association research suggests that organic farming can offer a solution to many of the current failures of non-organic farming, such as dependence on high-energy use, high levels of greenhouse gas emissions and widespread pollution.”

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation released data showing an extra 15 million pounds—nearly a ten percent increase—of pesticides were used in 2010 after four years of steady declines.

More than 173 million pounds of pesticides were applied across the state, which leads the nation in fruit and vegetable production. The excessive pesticide use covered a total of 75 million acres, according to the CDPR. Pesticide use fluctuates based on changes in the weather and economy said the agency, which credits 2010’s increase to a number of factors, including excessive rainfall (which gave way to mildew growth), improved water availability (which means more crops planted, thus more pesticides used), changes in crop prices (more affordable seeds and better market prices means more crops planted), and lower than normal temperatures in the summer and fall led to late harvests and more insect damage, increasing the need for pesticides.

Another key factor in the increase of pesticides is the type of crops grown. 2010 saw an increase in cotton, one of the most pesticide-reliant crops. The state also saw an increase in carrots, almonds, wine and raisin grapes, all of which showed an increased dependence on pesticides.

Fresno County, which is the top agriculture county in the state, ranked highest for pesticide use. Sulfur was the most used pesticide, growing by 10 percent to represent 27 percent of the state’s pesticide use. Telone use increased by 37 percent. It is commonly applied to strawberries, almonds, carrots, sweet potatoes and grapes.

Pesticides are linked to a number of human health and environmental risks including cancer, groundwater contamination and damage to the ozone layer.